Future Gazer
by 18Tsunayoshi
Summary: Semi-AU. For nine years, Tsuna has been hiding a secret, and it all began when he stumbled upon a strange orange pacifier when he was six. It has always been his most closely guarded secret; he has never told anyone about it, nor does he ever plan to. But eventually, as all secrets do, his finally comes to light, and his life suddenly becomes a lot more complicated. Arcobaleno!27
1. Prologue

**Warning:** OOC-ness

**Disclaimer:** I do not own KHR, as much as I wish I did.

Hi—normal talk

_Hi—_thoughts

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue:<strong>

The Giglio Nero family was currently in a state of complete chaos.

Their boss, Aria, was missing.

A servant had gone into her room to wake her up, only to find that her bed was empty, and she was nowhere to be found. Her few subordinates were currently running around the mansion like headless chickens, searching for their boss.

"Where is Madam Aria?"

"Did you find her yet?"

"Where the heck could she have gone?!"

"I don't know!"

"Someone needs to find her!"

"What if she was kidnapped?! Or killed?! Or worse?!"

The person was immediately shut up by a hit to the head.

"Stop thinking up horrible scenarios!"

"I found a letter on Madam Aria's desk!"

At this, all activity stopped in the mansion as everyone turned to stare at the one who was currently holding up a small sheet of paper.

"What does it say?!"

"Is it a ransom letter?!"

Everyone turned to the one who said that.

"SHUT UP!"

Everyone turned back to the person with the letter when he spoke.

"No, it is not a ransom letter. It says, 'I've decided to take a small vacation. Please don't try to find me. :-P'"

"WHAT?!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Aria was panicking as she tore through the town of Namimori.<p>

_Where is it, where the heck did it go?!_ she wailed mentally as she frantically searched the town of Namimori. She had decided to go there for a small vacation, wanting to take a break from all of the paperwork piled up on her desk. It wasn't like anything bad could happen in only one or two days, right?

Wrong.

It had only been six hours since her plane had landed in Namimori Airport, and she had already lost her most important possession. _This is impossible,_ she thought as she leaned back on her knees and wiped the sweat that beaded her forehead. She had been searching the town for three hours already, and she hadn't found one clue. _How did I even end up in a _forest_? Maybe I should call them..._ She shook her head. _But I don't want to worry them! But if I don't find it..._

"Argh!" she yelled in frustration. _What should I do?_

A few hours later, Aria was sitting on a bench in a playground with a bottle of water. She ignored all the words of the parents around her, too worried about her missing pacifier.

"That woman is covered with leaves and dirt!"

"Do you think she's dangerous?"

"I don't know… But it might be better if we stay away from her…"

Aria had no idea what they were talking about, nor did she care. _Where is it? _Her eyes roamed over the many children playing in the park, as she mulled over the places her missing pacifier could be. I_ checked the forest, I checked the shrines, I checked the schools, I checked almost every street in this town…Where is my pacifier?!_ She was startled out of her thoughts when she saw a small child with fluffy brown hair pick up an object and stare at it curiously. _I wonder what he found_… Her eyes widened. _Is that…a pacifier?! That's my pacifier!_ She stood up quickly. She barely noticed as the concerned parents stared at her warily as she made her way over to the child. She went up to the child, asked for the pacifier, got it back, and left.

Or at least, that's what her plan was.

She had not factored in the possibility of the child having an affinity for sky flames.

* * *

><p>Five year old Tsuna stared at the round object in his hand curiously.<p>

He had been playing in a secluded area of the playground all by himself, because no one wanted to be seen with him. He was a failure. Everyone called him Dame-Tsuna because he was useless. He couldn't do anything right. So there he was, playing by himself, when he looked up to see a strange round orange object lying innocently on its side on the ground in front of him.

Being the child that he was, he immediately picked it up and held it in his hands, examining it with his head tilted. _What is this? _He barely noticed as a dark blue-haired lady began walking towards him. After examining it for all of five seconds, he turned around again to draw pictures in the dirt with a stick again. It wasn't really playing, but there was really nothing else he could do. Besides, it was fun.

That was when he saw Aria.

She was getting closer and closer to him, staring straight at him. That wouldn't have usually been a problem, but Tsuna had been told that he shouldn't talk to people he doesn't know. His father had told him that strangers "take little kids away from their parents for money", and that they also "eat little children if they are hungry".

Unsurprisingly, he started to cry.

_I don't wanna be eaten! I don't wanna be taken away from mama! Papa doesn't come home anymore, so mama cries, and I don't want mama to cry if I go away too! And I don't wanna be eaten! _

He stopped crying when the round object suddenly began to shine brightly.

He stared at the object as a bright orange light shone inside of it, not noticing as his energy seemed to seep away from him slowly. _So pretty..._ He stared as it shined in awe, getting disappointed when the light dimmed and went away.

Aria had frozen in place and was staring at the pacifier in shock. _How...?_ _No, more importantly, why did the Sky Pacifier pass on to him? I'm not dead yet! Maybe it'll go back to me if I take it back? _She started to move again when she saw the boy get up.

"Wait!"

When the boy heard her voice, he ran as fast as he could. Which wasn't that fast. Aria caught up to him in five seconds, grabbing his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but that pacifier is very important to me. Could you please give it back?"

Tsuna was about to refuse—_but I wanna keep it! It's pretty!—_until he saw her desperate expression. Wordlessly, he handed it to her, and she grasped it immediately. He turned around and began walking to his mother, who had just gotten back from her short trip to the shopping market.

Aria was in a state of despair. She stared at the offending object in her hand, willing it to shine like it had for the child. _Why isn't it accepting me anymore?!_ she wailed mentally. She glanced at the child and back to the pacifier. _I don't want to give the curse to such a young boy! He has nothing to do with this!_ She tried to regain ownership of the pacifier, in vain. She knew. She knew that it was already too late, and that the pacifier now belonged to the young child. But she refused to believe it. _Why? Why must such an innocent child be subjected to such a horrible fate?!_ With a heavy heart, she called out to the boy.

"Wait."

The boy turned around, still disappointed at not being able to keep the shiny object.

"Take it."

He looked up at Aria, his large eyes shining with hope as he glanced at the object in her outstretched hand.

"Really?"

She nodded, and the boy reached for the pacifier, only for her to pull it back towards her slightly. He looked up at her curiously.

"But only on one condition."

He tilted his head to the side, and she took this as an invitation to continue.

"You tell no one about this."

"Not even mama?"

She shook her head.

"Not even your mother. You cannot tell anyone about this pacifier."

He thought about it for a while before nodding.

"Tsu-kun won't tell anybody."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

She saw the steady resolve in his eyes, and reluctantly handed over the pacifier.

"Take good care of it. And keep it with you all the time."

He nodded furiously, and she smiled sadly.

"What's your name?"

"Sa-wa-da Tsu-na-yo-shi."

She chuckled a bit at how he carefully pronounced every syllable in his name.

"I'm Aria. It was nice meeting you."

He smiled brightly.

"It was nice meeting you!"

She patted his head and stood up.

"Goodbye."

"Bye!"

She watched as the child slipped the pacifier into his pocket as he ran to his mother. _Sawada Tsunayoshi, huh..._

_I'm sorry._

Tsuna had almost forgotten about the strange lady in the park by the time he got home and ate dinner. He had stashed the pacifier into a box under his bed the minute he had gotten home, and he didn't think about it again.

Until he had his first vision a few weeks after.

* * *

><p><strong>So...this kind of just came into mind one day, so I decided to write it. Please tell me if I should continue it!<strong>

**Also, if you read my other story...I'll try to get the next chapter out soon.**


	2. Resolution

**Warning:** OOC-ness

**Disclaimer:** I do not own KHR, as much as I wish I did.

Hi—normal talk

_Hi—_thoughts

* * *

><p>Tsuna woke up screaming, tears running down his face.<p>

His mother rushed in, worried out of her mind. She bent down and gently hugged the bawling five year old, holding him close to her chest.

"Shh, shh... It's okay. Everything's okay."

When the child had calmed down, no longer crying his eyes out, she peeled him away from her chest.

"What happened, Tsu-kun?" she asked softly, as she stared into his large brown eyes.

"Ts-Tsu-kun had a bad dream."

She smiled reassuringly.

"What was it about?"

Tsuna's eyes began to tear up again when he remembered his dream.

"A-Ayano-san got hit by a truck a-and there was b-blood everywhere a-and then there was a g-gravestone with Ayano-san's n-name on it a-and—"

Tsuna couldn't say anything else, because he had burst into tears again. Nana hugged him again. When the crying stopped, she peeled him away and smiled when she saw that he had fallen asleep. She slowly lay him on his side and pulled the blanket over him, whispering a 'good night' and lightly kissing him on the forehead as she left, closing the door quietly.

Nana lay face up in her bed, thinking about her son's dream. _Why did Tsu-kun have a dream about Ayano-san dying? She's taken care of him multiple times when I had to go somewhere, and I thought he liked her... _She remembered the many times she had returned home to her smiling son. He always talked about how much fun he had with Ayano-san. _Maybe Tsu-kun is just scared that someone he knows might die? But I don't think he fully understands what 'dying' is... Maybe he just watches too many movies!_ She thought about the amount of action movies they had downstairs, courtesy of Iemitsu. _He probably just watched too many of those movies! Okay, I need to hide those movies first thing in the morning!_

With that thought, Nana closed her eyes and turned onto her side. She fell asleep minutes later.

The next morning, she packed the DVDs into a box and put it in the storage closet. Tsuna had woken up feeling refreshed, happily eating his breakfast and playing in the front yard by himself.

Neither of them thought about the dream until three days later.

* * *

><p>Nana's head shot up when she heard the screech of tires and a muffled thump.<p>

She turned the stove fire off before running outside, wiping her hands on her apron. _Was someone hit?! __Tsuna?!_ Her son had been playing in the front yard again with his new ball. When she saw him facing the street, safe and sound, she relaxed a bit. _Then, who was hit?_ She looked to where her son was staring, and her eyes widened.

_Ayano-san?!_

Tsuna had been happily playing with his new ball in the front yard. He kicked it around, tripped, got up again, and kicked it again. When he heard a screech and a thump, he had looked up curiously with the ball in his hands. _What made that noise?_ He froze as he stared at the scene in front of him.

He barely noticed as his mother came rushing out, stopping next to him and following his gaze.

He barely noticed as her eyes widened in horror and recognition.

He barely noticed as his brand-new ball, the one he had just gotten the day before, slipped out of his hands and bounced twice before rolling away.

The only thing he saw was the body. _Aya...no...san...?_ He watched with a horrified fascination as a beautiful red liquid pooled underneath her. _Blood._ The crimson liquid was almost..._mesmerizing_ as it spread slowly, staining his neighbor's clothes. As Tsuna watched, he got the feeling that he had seen this before, but he didn't know where. Besides, it's not like that was possible in the first place. People only die once, right?

And then he remembered.

He remembered that night—he had woken up screaming because of a nightmare. He had dreamed about Ayano's death; he had dreamed that a truck had struck her. He remembered staring at the slowly spreading blood as if hypnotized. He remembered standing in front of a grave, everyone around him crying.

Only now it wasn't a dream.

Everything in the dream was happening in real life. Ayano-san really _had _been hit by a truck. The truck driver getting out of the truck and frantically calling an ambulance was the same. Ayano-san being pronounced dead on the spot was the same. Everything was the same. Even the blood as it pooled and spread out underneath her body—_it was so still, so pale—_was the same.

Tsuna couldn't move his body.

_What's happening? Why is my dream coming true? Am I having the dream again?_ A sense of relief filled his body. _That must be it! I'm dreaming!_

When Nana felt a tug on her apron, she looked down to see her son.

"This is a dream, right? Like the one I had before!"

Nana was struck with an inexplicable urge to wrap her arms around her son and stay there. Instead, she bent down and held his shoulders firmly, her gaze unwavering as she stared into her son's hopeful eyes.

"It's not a dream, Tsu-kun."

She wanted to cry when she saw the still-hopeful expression.

"But Tsu-kun had a dream like this before! So Tsu-kun must be dreaming again!"

_What? Before? Tsuna had a dream like this before?_ Nanaclosed her eyes as she recalled her memories. _I'd almost forgotten...Tsuna woke up because he had a nightmare about Ayano-san dying! _She looked out at the blaring sirens, the body being covered with tarp. She stared at the truck beside the body. _He said she was hit...by a...truck..._

Her eyes widened, and she looked down at her son incredulously.

_He had a dream about Ayano-san getting hit by a truck...and now it has actually happened._ She watched as her son's hopefulness slowly melted away into confusion.

"...Mama?"

_Does he have something to do with this?_

"Mama? Are you okay?"

_Did he make this happen?_

"What's wrong? Mama!"

_No. Tsuna...Tsuna wouldn't do that._ She bent down and patted her son's head absentmindedly. _Maybe it's just a coincidence?_ She smiled sadly.

"It's not a dream, Tsu-kun. Ayano-san really _is _dead."

She watched as she saw the reality of the situation hit Tsuna. _It probably _is_ just a coincidence..._ She watched as the tears began to fall, and she hugged him tightly. _My little Tsuna is too innocent, too sweet..._

_There's no way he has anything to do with this._

* * *

><p>Tsuna stood off to the side, watching as various people placed flowers in front of the gravestone.<p>

It was a sunny day; the weather completely contrasted with everyone's mood.

_Ayano-san is dead._

He watched as his mother talked with the other adults, recalling the fond memories they had about Ayano.

_It's not a dream._

He didn't notice as a man walked into the cemetery and made his way towards Tsuna.

_The things in my dream came true._

He started when he saw a white-haired man wearing a yukata suddenly come into view.

"Tsunayoshi-kun?"

Tsuna backed away slowly, staring at the man suspiciously.

"...Who are you?"

The man smiled.

"People call me many things. But you can call me Kawahira for now."

Tsuna's gaze switched between his mother and the highly suspicious man kneeling in front of him.

"...Do you need something?"

His mother had told him to be polite to everyone, so Tsuna made sure to keep his voice polite even as he regarded the man suspiciously. The man smiled.

"Oh, I don't need anything. The one who needs something is you, Tsunayoshi-kun."

Tsuna backed away even further. _This person is weird..._

"You want some answers, don't you?"

Tsuna stopped. _What?_

"Do you want to know why you had a dream about Ayano-san dying, and why it came true three days later?"

Tsuna's eyes widened. _How does he know that?!_

"I can tell you, but you will have to keep it a secret, okay?"

Hesitantly, Tsuna nodded. The man—Kawahira—smiled.

"Good boy."

Tsuna was taken aback when the man's smile suddenly disappeared.

"Do you remember that object you picked up in the park a few weeks ago?"

Tsuna frowned as he tried to remember. _Park...object...oh! The shiny round thing!_ He nodded furiously.

"That is a special pacifier. It's called a Sky Pacifier. And the one in possession of it has the power of insight."

Tsuna tilted his head. _In...sight?_ Kawahira, seeing his confusion, elaborated.

"You, who is currently in possession of the pacifier, can see into the future."

Tsuna's eyes brightened in understanding.

"You can also 'see' into people's minds. You can see why they do something, and you can tell if someone is lying to you."

Tsuna's eyebrows furrowed as he processed the new information.

"That dream you had about Ayano-san dying wasn't a dream. It was a vision of the future."

_Is that why...everything was the same? Everything that happened in my dream...happened in real life._ Tsuna was startled out of his thoughts when Kawahira suddenly stood up. He smiled down at Tsuna.

"Make sure you protect that pacifier. No one can know about it, and you cannot let anyone see it except for you. And one more thing," he said as his smile dropped and was replaced by a dark look. "Everything that I told you must never leave your mouth."

Tsuna nodded, wide-eyed, as the man turned and walked away.

"Tsu-kun!"

Tsuna turned around to see his mother walking towards him. When she reached him, she smiled with a hint of sadness.

"Let's go home now, okay?"

Tsuna nodded and took her hand as they walked out of the cemetery. He turned his head as they walked, looking back towards the rows of graves.

He didn't see Kawahira anywhere.

* * *

><p>When Tsuna got home, he let go of his mother's hand and made a beeline for his room.<p>

He reached under his bed and drew out a small box. He took off the lid and lifted the object that was inside, cupping it with his hands. He stared at the orange pacifier intently. _I had that dream because of this?_ He examined it curiously. _It doesn't look special..._ His mind flashed back to the white-haired man at the funeral. _But he said I could tell the future because of the pacifier._

He turned the pacifier over in his small hands as he stared into space, his eyes unfocused. _I can tell the future. I could have stopped Ayano-san from dying._ A few tears dripped down his face, but he didn't wipe them away, not noticing them.

_I could have warmed her._

He remembered the truck as it careened down the street, crashing into his kind, caring neighbor as she crossed the street to her house.

_I could have saved her._

He remembered the strangely beautiful crimson liquid as it spread out slowly from underneath her.

_She could still be alive._

He remembered the crying faces of everyone at the cemetery.

_This is my fault._

He shook his head and looked down at the pacifier. He stared at it curiously when he saw drops of water on the surface. _What is that?_ His eyes widened when he saw more drops fall onto the round surface. He reached up and touched his face, feeling the moisture on his cheeks. _Huh?_ He looked down at his hand and saw a clear liquid on his finger. _Why am I crying?_ He furiously wiped the tears away with his sleeve, squeezing his eyes shut. When he put his arm down, he stared at the pacifier with a new found determination.

_I could have saved Ayano-san, but I didn't, because I didn't know I could see into the future._

He put the pacifier back into the box and climbed into his bed, looking up at the ceiling. _But now that I know,—_

_I will save everyone else._

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! I didn't expect that many for just the prologue! I'm so happy! ^_^<strong>

**Should I change the rating to 'T'?**

**Please review.**


	3. Freaky-Tsuna

**Warning:** OOCness

**Disclaimer:** I don't own KHR.

Hi—normal talk

_Hi—_thoughts

* * *

><p>Tsuna was being bullied.<p>

It was amazing, really—he was still six, and his fellow students were already bullying him. It hadn't gone too far; they insulted him every now and then, but it never escalated to anything physical.

It all stopped when he gained the name "Freaky-Tsuna".

(And he really didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.)

Unfortunately, he only gained the name after he tried to save someone and failed.

* * *

><p>When he had the vision, it was during math class.<p>

One minute, he was staring out the window half-listening to his teacher talk about addition and subtraction, and the next, he was lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling. He barely registered his surroundings as he peeled himself off the floor. It was only when the teacher began yelling at him that he realized everyone was staring at him.

"SAWADA TSUNAYOSHI!"

Tsuna gulped and froze, eyes wide as he watched his teacher advance upon him.

"Is my class really so boring that you'd fall asleep while I'm teaching?!"

Tsuna shook his head furiously as the children surrounding him snickered. The teacher crouched down in front of him, frowning.

"Then why did you fall asleep while I was teaching?" he hissed as he grabbed Tsuna's shoulders.

A multitude of excuses ran through Tsuna's head, none of them suitable for the situation. _I was tired, so I fell asleep._ Tsuna mentally shook his head. The teacher would definitely yell at him if he said that. _I can see the future, and I fell asleep just now because I was having a vision. _He definitely couldn't use that one; after all, he had been told to never tell anyone that he could see the future. _I have no idea._ That was _definitely_ not a good excuse. Saying that was probably the worst thing he could do.

So, being the "Useless Tsuna" that he was, he just sat there and stared at the teacher blankly. The teacher shook his head and stood up, releasing Tsuna's shoulders as he did so.

"I guess I can't really expect anything from such a useless student..."

Tsuna looked down at the ground, staring blankly at the tiles as all the students laughed. The teacher walked to the front of the room and silenced the children, leaving Tsuna to pick himself up off the ground and sit at his desk. He refused to look up, instead spending the rest of the day staring at the cracks in his desk. When the bell rang, his head shot up, and his eyes widened when he saw one of his classmates leave the classroom. He hurriedly packed up his things, rushing to get to the classmate before it was too late.

Tsuna ran as fast as he could, forgetting about what had happened earlier in the classroom as he got closer to his classmate. _I can't let it happen...I won't let it!_

"Mochida-san!"

Mochida Kensuke turned around along with his two friends, his eyes wide, as he stared at his panting classmate in surprise. Then, his expression melted into one of superiority as he smirked down at the shorter child.

"What do you want, Useless-Tsuna?"

Tsuna put his hands on his knees as he attempted to catch his breath. He looked up at Mochida and took a deep breath.

"P-Please be c-careful around stairs. S-Something bad might h-happen."

Mochida stared at him with a puzzled face before shaking his head and laughing, his friends following suit.

"What was that?"

He stopped laughing and glared down at the brunet.

"Are you making fun of me? Don't tell me to be careful around _stairs._ I'm not like you, Useless-Tsuna."

Tsuna opened his mouth to argue and closed it again when he saw Mochida turn and begin to walk away again, effectively ending the conversation as his friends glanced at each other before moving forward. Tsuna gritted his teeth and followed after Mochida. _If he won't listen to me, then I'll just have to save him myself!_ He moved as stealthily as he could, trailing behind the three.

Which wasn't very stealthily.

He would trip over his own feet at almost every step he took, just barely avoiding crashing into the trio in front of him. He also seemed to have developed the overwhelming urge to sneeze every few minutes. He was so engrossed in attempting (and failing) to follow them stealthily that he failed to hear the trio in front of him whispering to each other.

"Hey, why is 'Useless-Tsuna' following us?"

"I don't know, but if he's trying to be sneaky, it's not working."

"Yeah, he fails at following people, too."

"Is there anything he _doesn't_ fail at?"

"Probably not!"

Mochida's two friends chuckled as they watched Tsuna trip over his feet yet again. However, Mochida was only growing increasingly irritated, his anger almost reaching its boiling point. It was only when Tsuna tripped for the hundredth time since following them that Mochida snapped.

"Useless-Tsuna!"

Tsuna's head jerked up as he regained his balance, his eyes widening at the expression of complete anger that dominated over Mochida's face. He shrunk back as the boy advanced upon him threateningly.

"Why do you keep following me?! It's so annoying! Get away from me!"

Tsuna stood up straight, gathering his courage as he opened his mouth.

"B-But...you...stairs..." _Something bad is going to happen to you..._

Mochida cut him off, yelling, as his friends stood behind him and smirked at Tsuna's evident fear.

"NO BUTS! You have been following us for the past fifteen minutes! What do you want?!"

"I...I..." _I want to save you before it happens._

Mochida shook his head.

"Just stop following me! It's freaky!"

Tsuna couldn't even reply as Mochida spun on his heel and stomped off, his friends stumbling to keep up with him. Tsuna followed behind them at a more sedate pace, concentrating more on trying not to annoy Mochida than trying not to trip. He was more subdued, only lifting his head up enough to be able to see the feet of the trio he was following.

Which was why he didn't notice when they began descending a staircase until it was too late.

When he was stepping down onto the third step from the top, he stiffened and inhaled sharply, his head lifting up so quickly he almost broke his neck. He could only watch with a cold terror as Mochida was caught off balance by a slap on his back by one of his friends.

_Oh no._

He watched as Mochida teetered off the edge of the step he was standing on, leaning forwards ever so slowly.

_No._

He watched, his mouth dry, as Mochida lost his sense of balance and pitched off the step, tumbling down the rest of the staircase painfully.

_I'm too late._

He watched as Mochida landed, his arm twisting at a funny angle.

_I couldn't save Mochida-san._

He watched, wide-eyed, as blood began pooling underneath his head, spreading out as it grew larger and larger.

_I should have paid more attention_.

He barely noticed as Mochida's friends paled and turned tail, running away as quickly as possible.

_This is my fault._

He sat down with a thump, barely registering the pain in his tailbone as he lost all the strength in his knees.

_Why didn't I notice earlier?_

He was only shaken out of his thoughts when the two friends came back with some adults, who paled and immediately dialed 119. He continued staring at the almost lifeless body of his bully, only half-listening into the whispered conversation that the two friends were having.

"Hey, didn't Useless-Tsuna tell Ken-kun to be careful around stairs?"

"He did, didn't he? That's so freaky!"

"Did he know it was going to happen?"

"No way! No one can tell the future!"

"Then why did he warn Ken-kun?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

Tsuna watched as the blaring red lights of the ambulance got closer and closer.

"Do you think it's his fault?"

"It can't be! You were the one who slapped Ken-kun on the back in the first place!"

He watched as the paramedics carefully lifted the child and placed him on top of a gurney.

"Sh-Shut up! I didn't think Ken-kun would fall! Still, why did Useless-Tsuna warn him to be careful around stairs? It's even freakier because Ken-kun just fell down some stairs!"

"Useless-Tsuna just got really freaky."

He watched as the ambulance drove away, the red lights getting smaller and smaller.

"Let's go to the hospital and check on Ken-kun."

The other child nodded, and the two of them ran off towards the hospital as the adults dispersed, leaving Tsuna to sit on the staircase alone.

_I'm such a failure._

* * *

><p>The news had spread around like wildfire.<p>

It had started in school; the two friends had been heard discussing the incident, and soon everyone in the school was calling him "Freaky-Tsuna". A teacher had overheard the rumors that had begun circulating around the school, and soon the adults knew about it too. Now everyone in Namimori called him "Freaky-Tsuna". And when he thought that it couldn't get any worse than that, it did.

He walked down the hallway with his head down, staring at the floor as he listened to the whispering around him.

_"Hey, did you hear?'_

_"Hear about what?"_

_"If you get close to Freaky-Tsuna, something bad will happen to you."_

_"Really?!"_

_"And, they say that if he follows you, you'll get seriously hurt!"_

_"Wow...maybe we should stay away from him."_

_"Yeah..."_

Everyone was avoiding him; even the adults took extra care to stay as far away from him as they could without looking rude. What made this whole situation unbearable for Tsuna was the fact that even his mother seemed to be avoiding him.

He couldn't remember what it felt like to be hugged or kissed. _He watched enviously as loving parents scooped up their children as they left school._

He couldn't remember what his mother's cooking tasted like. _He only ever ate bento from the nearest convenience store nowadays._

He couldn't remember what it sounded like when he was greeted warmly as he walked into the house. _He only ever heard silence when he arrived._

He couldn't remember what it sounded like when his mother hummed happily as she set the table for two, brightening the house up with her presence. _The house only ever seemed gray now; there was no more light in his world._

_He couldn't even remember what it felt like to be loved._

And that's what hurt the most.

To Tsuna, his mother was his whole world. His father was rarely home, so it was always just him and Nana. He adored her. She always seemed to brighten up the atmosphere when she smiled; she never failed to deliver what Tsuna needed, and she delivered much more. Everyday, he would come home feeling mentally defeated, and every day, he would brighten up whenever he saw his mother's smile. She gave him the love he needed to keep moving on; she cared for him when no one else did.

And now that was gone.

So Tsuna got used to coming home to a gray atmosphere; he got used to providing himself with necessities. He came back home every day, slowly losing his will to keep going when he didn't even hear a simple "welcome back" from his mother. And he did the only thing he _could _do: he closed his heart.

He locked up his feelings, his happy memories, his determination to persevere...

And he threw the key away. _After all, __what was the point in trying..._

_When no one wanted to listen?_

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><p><strong>I'm so sorry! I forgot to tell you guys that I couldn't update for the rest of the month due to exams. Thankfully, I was able to write this out. Anyway, after this chapter, the future chapters should get longer (but I'm not making any promises).<strong>

**Guest 1: No, Kawahira was not talking about Hyper Intuition. I can't explain things very well, so just search up insight. On the wikia, it said that the sky arcobalenos had the power of insight, so I just used that.**

**Guest 2: No, this is after Iemitsu and Nono visited. (Mostly because I can't figure out how to put that in here without messing up a whole bunch of things).**

**Thank you for the follows, favorites, and reviews!**

**Please review on your way out!**


	4. The Baby Tutor

**Warning:** OOC.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own KHR.

Hi—normal talk

_Hi—_thoughts

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><p>Nana stood outside of the house with a broom in her left hand, staring down at the piece of paper in her other. She studied it carefully, her face worn and tired, lacking the bright cheerfulness that used to dominate it years ago.<p>

When she had heard those rumors about her son, she had, admittedly, gotten a bit carried away. _He brings bad luck, _they said. _If you stay near him, something horrible will happen to you._

And she believed them.

After all, there had been that incident with their neighbor, and now it was a child Tsuna's age named Mochida Kensuke. She wanted to love her son. She wanted to care for him and pay attention to him when no one else would. Yet, without realizing it, she had begun ignoring him. She feared him. She believed those rumors, and she shunned him.

She never regretted anything more in her entire life.

When she finally realized what she had been doing for the past seven years, it was already too late. Her son—_her Tsu-kun__—_was no longer smiling. He no longer laughed. Every time she saw him come home, it was to see dead eyes and an empty body, going through every day emotionlessly, only nourishing itself enough to stay alive.

And she already knew.

She knew it was too late for her to do anything. She knew that he had locked away his heart and thrown away the key, and she knew that there was no way for her to find the key and unlock it.

And she died a little inside, every time she saw her son.

_But now, _she thought as she held a flyer in her hand. _Maybe I'll finally be able to see those smiles again. Maybe I'll finally be able to hear his laughs. Maybe I'll finally be able to see those eyes filled with life._

"Will raise your kid to be the new leader of the next generation. Grade and subject doesn't matter. Reborn."

She turned back to the house, her eyes unfocused as she glanced up at the sky.

_Maybe he can fix Tsu-kun._

_Maybe he can do what I couldn't._

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><p>Reborn smirked as he neared the Sawada Residence. <em>Sawada Tsunayoshi is a civilian with no ties to the mafia. He scores below average in everything, and he is also below average in terms of physical ability. <em>He jumped onto a tree branch, moving around until he found a comfortable position. _However, he also happens to be the son of the Young Lion of the Vongola Family. _When he settled down, he took out a pair of binoculars and focused it on the front door of the house, waiting. _And for some reason, the ninth boss of said family sent me to train said son._

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long.

A few minutes later, he saw the matriarch of the Sawada step out of the house and make her way to the mailbox, broom in hand. His eyes flashed with sadistic humor as he smirked, watching as she took out the flyer, studying it carefully. _This is going to be so much fun, _he thought as he shifted into another comfortable position, his binoculars still focused on the Sawada's front door. He watched the house, his mind wandering but still alert enough to catch any movement as he began to think up Sawada Tsunayoshi's training regimen. _Hmm...maybe I should start with building up his stamina..._

It was partially the reason he was caught off-guard when his pacifier began glowing.

His dark eyes widened with surprise, and he almost dropped the binoculars, catching them at the last second. He stared down at his pacifier in disbelief. _What? There shouldn't be any Arcobaleno in Namimori, or in Japan at all! What's going on?!_

He didn't notice the strange orange glow emanating from Sawada Tsunayoshi's pocket.

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><p>Tsuna woke up with a start, sweating and panting as he tried to calm down his racing heart.<p>

_Pale skin, covered in blood__—_

Tsuna shook his head vehemently, sitting up.

_The red liquid spreading through the cheap cloth of the school uniform__—_

Tsuna squeezed his eyes shut, clutching his head, willing the images away. After a while, his hands drifted away from his hands and landed on his blanket, clenching the thick white material. His tense shoulders relaxed as he let out a breath, opening his eyes slowly. After running a shaking hand through his brown hair, he slipped the blanket off and stood up from the bed. He opened his closet and mechanically took out his school uniform, changing into it before heading to the adjoining bathroom.

A few minutes later, he headed down the stairs and grabbed his pre-prepared bento box from the fridge, heating it up and sticking it in his bag. He walked past his mother, who opened her mouth and then closed it silently. Tsuna glanced at her with dead eyes, slipping his shoes on. He left without saying a word.

Staring straight ahead, he made his way to school, never noticing the orange glow coming from the object in his pocket.

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><p>"EXTREMELY GOOD MORNING, SAWADA!"<p>

Tsuna glanced up from the ground, watching the rapidly growing figure of his upperclassman. _Why does he greet me every morning?_ He nodded politely at the boxer, his gaze quickly switching back to the pavement._ Why did he start greeting me in the first place? Why isn't he just leaving me alone? This has been going on for a month. _And just like it had been for the past month, he never saw as the boxer's smile fell as soon as he passed his underclassman, his face set in a deep frown for the rest of his run. _Whatever, _Tsuna thought as he shrugged.

_It probably doesn't mean anything anyway._

Tsuna reached the school ten minutes early, barely acknowledging the head of the Disciplinary Committee as he walked through the gates of the school.

_"Hey look, it's Freaky-Tsuna."_

_"Shh! Don't talk about him! What if he hears you?"_

Tsuna glanced to the side, watching dully as the two girls paled and turned around, quickly walking away. He glanced back at the floor again, studying the tiles that he had been looking at since the first day of school. _And I'll probably memorize the exact patterns by the end of the year._

After another uneventful school day had passed, the last bell finally rung. Tsuna made his way out of the school slowly, ignoring the multitude of students as they ran out, careful to avoid touching him. He gazed at the sky, watching the blue fade into orange and pink as the sun set. He closed his eyes briefly before opening them again, continuing down the road.

* * *

><p>Tsuna pushed open the door, the bell ringing to signify his arrival.<p>

"Tsuna-kun! What a pleasant surprise!"

Tsuna merely stared at the white-haired man dully before looking away. _What do you mean 'what a pleasant surprise'? I've been coming here every day for the past year. And most people wouldn't say that seeing me is a 'pleasant surprise'._

"Hello, Kawahira-san."

His voice was soft and slightly raspy. It made sense, really. After all, he only talked to one person every day, and that person was the one standing behind the counter. Tsuna looked around the small antique store, his eyes never staying on one object for more than a second. After a while, he approached the counter.

"Kawahira-san."

The man looked up at him.

"Yes, Tsuna-kun?"

Tsuna breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly.

"I had a...dream about a boy my age dying. He was wearing the Namimori school uniform." _Was it a vision?_

The man smiled mysteriously, answering the unasked question.

"Whether it is a vision or not is something you will need to see for yourself, Tsuna-kun."

Tsuna closed his eyes. _I knew he would say that..._

"Would you like some tea?"

Tsuna opened his eyes and stared at the innocent cup of tea on the countertop. He shook his head almost immediately.

"...No, thank you. I'm fine. Have a nice day."

Disappointment flashed across Kawahira's face before being replaced with a pleasant smile as Tsuna turned around.

"Good luck." _You'll need it._

Tsuna glanced back, a spark of curiosity in his eyes. It was squashed down in a second, his eyes returning to its usual blank slate. He pushed the door open and stepped outside, the bell ringing as he left.

* * *

><p>Tsuna opened the door to his house, glancing at the clock in the kitchen. <em>4:00, huh...Two and a half hours for homework, then I have to make dinner.<em> Nodding to himself, he walked up the stairs and opened the door to his bedroom.

It was almost completely bare, with nothing except a bed and a desk. Almost everything was white. His walls were white, his linen was white, his curtains were white, and even his desk lamp was white. The only things that weren't were the floor, the bed itself, his bookcase, and the desk, which were a light brown. Tsuna dropped his bag next to his desk, pulling out the materials needed to complete his homework. As always, he didn't understand half of what was going on, but it didn't really matter. The teachers all gave him passing grades, regardless of whether he deserved it or not.

_I guess that's one perk of being "Freaky-Tsuna", _Tsuna thought dryly as he stretched his arms up behind his back. He glanced at the digital clock lying on the corner of his desk. _5:48, _the clock read. After a few seconds of quiet contemplation, Tsuna shrugged slightly and stood up, sliding his chair back on the wooden floor. He stretched his back as he made his way to the kitchen.

He had not expected to find two plates of food on the table, everything already set up.

His arms fell down slowly to rest at his sides as he stared dumbly at his mother, who was anxiously smiling. She wiped her hands on a small hand towel and hesitantly sat down in front of one of the plates. Tsuna snapped out of his stupor and cautiously made his way over to the seat across from hers. They ate in silence, the sounds of chopsticks hitting the plate punctuating the quiet. Tsuna looked up when he heard his mother set down her chopsticks, watching as she closed her eyes and breathed in.

"Tsu...kun..."

Tsuna barely acknowledged the affectionate nickname, staring at her unnervingly. She opened her eyes and hesitated before plowing on stubbornly.

"I...I found a flyer in the mailbox, and—"

"Ciaossu."

They both turned their heads to look at the other end of the table, Nana whipping her head around while Tsuna followed at a more sedate pace. They stared at the baby standing on the table. After a round of intense staring, Nana spoke first.

"Hello...are you lost? Do you want me to bring you home?"

Tsuna continued staring, observing the strange child wearing a black suit and fedora. The pair of obsidian eyes locked onto Tsuna's chocolate ones, both of them having finished observing the other. Tsuna blinked slowly and looked down at the child's neck.

"Hello?"

Nana's voice shook them both out of their staring, the child focusing his attention on the Sawada matriarch.

"I am the home tutor, Reborn."

Tsuna stared at his mother and back to the child before nodding to himself. He pushed back the chair he was sitting on and picked up his plates and silverware, walking around the table to place them in a sink. He waited for his mother to finish speaking to his new tutor. _She was probably going to tell me about the tutor before she got interrupted, _he idly thought. When it appeared as though the tutor had managed to convince Nana that he was, in fact, a certified tutor, Tsuna nodded at his mother and turned to leave. He barely flinched when he felt a weight land on top of his head, making his way to his bedroom.

* * *

><p>Reborn sat on top of his student's head, observing the teen carefully as he tried to shake off the unsettling feeling he had. He hadn't missed the teen's immediate acceptance of a child tutor and his blatant observing gaze. Simply put, it was a bit unnerving. After all, no one had ever accepted the idea of a baby tutor without any incredulous statements that would end with them getting a kick to the face. But that wasn't what was unsettling.<p>

It was the fact that in the short time he had been in the house, Reborn hadn't seen a single flash of emotion on Sawada Tsunayoshi's face.

It was unnatural. It was unnatural how blank the teen's face was; he could probably give the best poker player a run for his money. It was unnatural how blank those deep brown eyes were; Reborn would have thought he was a corpse if it weren't for the fact that the teen was so obviously breathing. It was almost like seeing an animate corpse. And for some reason, despite all the corpses he had seen throughout his career as a hitman, Reborn couldn't bring himself to look at the teen without feeling the slightest bit sick.

The teen's room wasn't helping, either.

When Tsuna opened the door, Reborn was struck by how _dull _the room was. It was spotless; there wasn't a thing out of place. While that would have made most people happy, it only served to unnerve him even more. There was barely any color, and the walls were spotless. While most teenage boys would have posters of their favorite sportsman or sports team or whatever caught their interest, there was nothing on Tsuna's wall.

Nothing.

He simply had no personality, nothing to identify him by. And for the first time in years, Reborn was unable to read the teen or make any inferences that would probably be wholly correct about the boy. He jumped off the boy's head, realizing that he had stopped in the middle of the room and was waiting for him to get off. Without sparing a glance at Reborn, Tsuna turned and walked into the adjoining bathroom, closing the door behind him. Reborn barely acknowledged his location, staring around at the room he was in, trying and failing to find something to help identify the boy; to help give him a personality.

Then he heard the coughing.

Reborn's head snapped to the bathroom door, his ears straining to listen to the silent coughing behind the door as the bathroom's occupant struggled to keep the noise down. He walked over to the door and knocked, for some reason reluctant to simply kick open the door like he had done for his previous student multiple times.

"Tsuna?"

Reborn was almost taken aback by the immediate answer.

"I'm fine! Don't open the door!"

It was the first time he had ever heard an emotion in that otherwise emotionless voice. But it wasn't any emotion Reborn would have expected or even _wanted _to hear first. There was some anger and frustration, but it was the hidden emotion that shook Reborn, not that he would ever admit it.

Fear.

It wasn't the anger or frustration that somehow managed to make Reborn, _the_ Reborn, take a step back and hesitate. It was the fear and all the things that came with it. He took a step forward again, mentally chastising himself. _The world's greatest hitman does not step back or hesitate in the face of any enemy or friend, and certainly not because of a teenage boy._ He raised a fist, ready to knock on the door again, when the door opened. The teen stepped out, blocking Reborn's view of the bathroom. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"What's wrong with you?"

Tsuna looked down at the baby, his expression still apathetic.

"...Nothing."

His face almost twisted in anger, Reborn just barely restraining his frustration.

"_That was not 'nothing'! It sounded like you were coughing your lungs out!_"

A flash of surprise flitted across Tsuna's face before being replaced by his normal indifference, this time with a hard edge to it.

"I'm fine. Nothing's wrong with me."

Reborn opened his mouth, about to yell again, when he stopped himself. _Wait...why do I even care? I've been here for all of ten minutes! _But there was no ignoring the unusual flash of worry and protectiveness that he had felt when he had heard the teen coughing. For the first time ever, Reborn couldn't understand what was going on.

It was almost..._scary._

But there was no way Reborn would let himself retreat in fear. The world's greatest hitman would never retreat, and he would certainly never let himself back away from a mere _teen._ He needed to find out what was wrong, and he would fix it. _After all, there's nothing the world's greatest hitman can't do, _he thought as he crawled into the hammock he had set up while Tsuna had gone to the bathroom for the second time.

He fell asleep soon after the teen shut off the lights, never noticing the smear of blood on the sleeve of the teen's uniform.

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><p><strong>Sorry it took such a long time, but I had writer's block. Also, school. That's all you really need to know.<strong>

**Guest review: The Arcobaleno curse broke Nono's seal, but now Tsuna's flames are sealed in the pacifier. Sorry for the confusion.**


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